Facebook Messenger recently reached 800 million users — that’s a lot of chatting! If you’re part of that number and find yourself juggling several conversations, Tech Recipes reminds us that Messenger offers a few ways to customize each conversation. This can help prevent you from messaging the wrong recipient, or just tune the theme to …

This story is part of CES 2016. Our editors bring you complete CES 2016 coverage and scour the showroom floor for the hottest new tech gadgets around. With the big tech brands vying to take the No. 1 spot in the TV race, CES 2016 has shown off a huge range of curved screens, massive panels and ultraclear high-definition displays. …

Congratulations to Eleanor G. of Bloomfield, New Jersey, for winning a bag of virtual-reality swag in our last giveaway of 2015. Why not start the new year off with brand new gadgets? This week, we have three for the mobile lifestyle: a shiny metal case for the iPhone 6 Plus/6S Plus, a portable waterproof Bluetooth speaker and a portable power …

This story is part of CES 2016. Our editors bring you complete CES 2016 coverage and scour the showroom floor for the hottest new tech gadgets around. Now playing: Watch this: Coolest computers of CES 2016 13:33 Smartwatches, smart homes, smart cars, smart headsets that promise virtual worlds — this was the CES where every type of device decided to …

A mobile phone can have only one phone number, right? Wrong. Apps such as Burner and Google Voice can give you a second number, after a fashion. The newest option: Pinger’s Sideline, a business-oriented app that supplies a free second number for your Android phone or iPhone. The idea here is that your smartphone is your personal phone, and you …

This story is part of CES 2016. Our editors bring you complete CES 2016 coverage and scour the showroom floor for the hottest new tech gadgets around. Scooters are definitely a thing. Over the last few months in San Francisco I’ve noticed more and more people using them to (sometimes annoyingly) zip around downtown. I prefer walking myself, but I …

This time of year, it seems the Internet is equally full of articles telling you how to succeed on your new diet and those telling you why your resolution to slim down in the new year will never work. In short, there’s just way too much mention of the word “diet” on the Net. Strangely enough, Lean Cuisine, a company …

This story is part of CES 2016. Our editors bring you complete CES 2016 coverage and scour the showroom floor for the hottest new tech gadgets around. A happy new year to one and all! Welcoming in 2016 also means welcoming in the world’s biggest tech show — CES, held in glittering Las Vegas. This week, the devilishly handsome Andrew …

The price tag of one of 2016’s hottest new products is proving to be a hot-button topic. After months of suspense, Oculus VR revealed at CES this week that the Rift, one of the first virtual-reality headsets to hit the market, will set consumers back $599. That didn’t go over so well. Some who’d been hankering for the device took …

The reason I use a MacBook rather than a Windows laptop might have less to do with the differences in the operating systems and more to do with the superiority of the MacBook trackpad. I have yet to encounter a trackpad on a Windows laptop that can match the feel of a MacBook’s trackpad. I enjoy the generous proportions of …

CNET’s Cheapskate scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. And find more great buys on the CNET Deals page. Cool looks, awesome sound. Harman Kardon Regular Cheapskate readers know that I love Bluetooth speakers. They also know I tend to favor super-inexpensive …

Widespread access to the Internet should be made available to low-income households to close the so-called digital divide, and it needs to happen soon. That was the conclusion Thursday in a chat between Alphabet Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt and US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro. The pair met at Alphabet’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, to discuss ways …

Mark Zuckerberg’s proposal to provide free, basic Internet service in India has hit an old-fashioned snag: People don’t believe they’re getting something for nothing. On Wednesday, dozens of Internet rights groups criticized Facebook, Zuck’s company, for making “disingenuous” claims about opposition to the Free Basics plan, which promises to give India’s rural poor access to the social network and a …

This story is part of CES 2016. Our editors bring you complete CES 2016 coverage and scour the showroom floor for the hottest new tech gadgets around. Now playing: Watch this: LG OLED TV rolls up like a piece of paper 1:12 When I rolled up to LG Display’s demo room, I had no idea I’d experience a very thin …

This story is part of CES 2016. Our editors bring you complete CES 2016 coverage and scour the showroom floor for the hottest new tech gadgets around. The Internet of Things is already here and helping people, and it needs lots of companies collaborating to make it work. That’s the word from the president of Samsung’s IT business, W.P. Hong, …